The Los Angeles Lakers released their injury report for Friday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans and LeBron James (right sciatica) and Gabe Vincent (left ankle sprain) remain out while Adou Thiero (left knee surgery recovery) has been upgraded to questionable.
The Lakers traded up to draft Thiero in the second round out of Arkansas, although he was recovering from knee surgery at the time. That kept him out of Summer League, training camp, the preseason and the Lakers’ first 12 games of the regular season.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick recently stated that the hope was for Thiero to make his NBA debut before the end of their current road trip though, and it appears that is a legitimate possibility.
To close the road trip, the Lakers have a back-to-back first on Friday against the Pelicans in an Emirates NBA Cup group play game and then on Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Considering Thiero hasn’t seen game action in a while though, he likely won’t suit up for both of those games. If he is unable to go on Friday then it makes sense to save him for the Milwaukee game, where the Lakers could be shorthanded in the second night of a back-to-back.
Regardless of which game he plays though, it appears Thiero is on the verge of being ready to go which is an exciting thing for the Lakers.
JJ Redick explains why Lakers have been so cautious with Adou Thiero
If Adou Thiero were a veteran then perhaps he would have been able to return quicker, but head coach JJ Redick recently explained how the Lakers wanted to be cautious with the rookie and this knee injury knowing he has his whole career in front of him.
“We felt like he’s somebody that really fits in the modern NBA because of his motor and how athletic and the size,” Redick said. “View him as a guy that could be a banshee-crasher, a full-court pickup guy, an elite cutter, a physical defender. Every team needs those guys. So excited about his future as a Laker.
“And I told him this, and I’ve said this to you guys: this year is really important for him as a development year, but it’s as much about getting his body right and learning the NBA, the language, and all of that stuff as it is about getting on-court reps. There will be opportunities at some point in the future. I don’t know when that is for him to get some reps with us in-game, but we’re gonna make sure that his body’s right.”
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